There's been much speculation in both Russia and Ukraine in recent days about the whereabouts of Vladimir Putin. As you probably know by now, he has resurfaced in Saint Petersburg. Here's an item from our news desk:
Putin met with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev on March 16 at the Constantine Palace outside St. Petersburg.Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared in public for the first time since March 5.
Referring to rampant speculation about his health and whereabouts during his unusually long absence from the public eye, Putin said: "It would be boring without gossip."
Atambaev reportedly said that Putin is "in excellent form" and that the president drove him around the palace grounds.
The two shook hands at the start of their meeting.
In addition to speculation about the health of Putin, 62, his absence fueled rumors of deepening rifts in Russia's secretive political and security circles following the killing of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov near the Kremlin on February 27.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS
And here's a video looking at the state of play in Crimea, one year after the annexation:
Here's a Crimea update from RFE/RL's news desk:
Weeklong celebrations marking the anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea began on March 16 with a special session of the Moscow-backed legislature on the Black Sea peninsula.
In a ceremony shown live on Russian state television, a choir sang the Russian national anthem.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy to Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, congratulated State Council deputies on the first anniversary of Crimea's "return to Russia."
Belaventsev repeated Russia's claim that it moved to take control over Crimea because it feared for the people there following the ouster of a Moscow-backed Ukrainian president in February 2014 after protests the Kremlin has cast as a U.S.-backed coup.
He handed certificates of honor to members of Crimea's Russian leadership and lawmakers for their "contribution to Crimea's reunification with Russia."
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine after sending troops there and staging a secession referendum on March 16, 2014, that was condemned by dozens of countries and declared illegal in an overwhelming vote in the UN General Assembly.
Here is the latest map of the miltary situation in the Donbas region, issued by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (click to enlarge):
